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C. L. HOWSE BOILER CLEANER March 1, 1932.

Original Filed Jan. 14, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 511 vente@ @wrt/s ,Jou/.se

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March l, 1932. L, HOWSE 1,847,483

BOILER CLEANER Original Filed Jan. 14,' 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 PatentedMar. 1, 1932 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE CURTIS I. HOWS, 0F DETROIT,MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR T0 DIAMOND POWER SPECIALTY CORPORATION, OF DETROIT,MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN BOILER CLEANER 4Application nledJanuary 14, 1924, Serial No. 686,183. Renewed July 20, 1931.

provision of an improved boiler cleaner of the type mentioned.

With this as well as other objects the invention further resides in thenovel features of construction and combinations and arrangements ofparts as more fully hereinafter set forth. v In the drawings l n Figure1 is an end view of a blowerelement embodying my invention; i

Figure 2 isa cross section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; N

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure '2 showing a modified construction;

Figure 4 is a cross section on the line 4 -4 of Figure 3. Y

l is a rotary blower element provided with nozzles through which thecleaning iuid such as steam or the like is discharged upon the boilertubes or other parts of the boiler. 2 is an axiallyaligned valve adaptedto engage the seat 3 near the inner end ,ofy the blower element. 4 isthe valve body in which the sleeve 5 is journalled, this sleeve beingrigidly secured to the blower element 1 and the seat 3 which arethreaded thereinto. Y The sleeve hasrthe ports 6 which communicate withthe passageway 7 in the valve body conr stituting the inlet for thecleaning iu'id.-

8 is the valve stem extending in axial ralignment with the blowerelement and having' the threaded portion 9 engaging the gear- 10. Thisgear meshes with the planetary gears 11 which are journalled uponthestub shafts 12'an'd mesh with the internal gear 13 rigidly securedupon the valve body 4. The stub shafts are secured to the ring14 whichVis threaded upon and rigidly secured Vto the sleeve 5 Abeyond the valvebody. 15 is a stop in the form of a collar secured upon the valve stem 8and engageable with the gear 10 upony rotation of the valve stemrelative to the gea-r to secure Yan outward longitudinal movement kofthe valve stem. This gear is held from longitudinal or axial movement bymeans of the plate 16 upon the stubfshafts 12 and having portionsengaging in' grooves 17l in the hub of the gear. 18 is a sheave wheelrigidly secured upon the valve stem beyond the gear 10 and adapted to berotated by suitable means such as a chain. i

For the purpose of assuring the opening of the valve 2 prior to therotation of the blower element 1 and preventing closingofl the valvebefore the blower element has rotated through its completek blowing arc,I provide the piston 19 which is secured upon Vthe valve stemv andslida-bly vengages the sleeve 5, this piston having piston rings l20 atits ends and an annular `intermediate grooved portion 21. The piston islocated even when thevalve is closed beyond the ports 6 in the sleeve,and as a consequence 'this piston is subjected to the pressure of thecleaning fluid at all times which tends to longitudinally move thepiston outward and open the valve;

Tolimit the angular travel of the blower element, the ring 14 has thestop member 22 in the form of an outwardly extending lug and the valvebody has the stop member 23 in the form of an inwardly extendingprojection upon the internal gear 13. Y This inwardly extendingprojection is preferably a detachable member such as a cap bolt which isthreadedly engafgeable with the internal gear at diii'erent points inits periphery to vary the angular travel of the blower element. V

In operation and with the valve in closed position as shown in Figure 2,rotation of the sheave wheel 18 in a clockwise direction by means ofthe' chain will lfirst rotate -the valve stem 8 relative to the gear 10thereby' longitudinally moving the valve stem outwardly and opening thevalve 2. This motion takes place in preference to the rotation of thegear 1() owing to the difference in pressures exerted by the cleaningfluid and acting upon the piston 19 and-valve 2, which tends to move thevalve stem longitudinally outward. The relative rotation of the valvestem 8 and gear 10 continues until the stop- 15 comes into contact withthe gearlO, after etl which the gear lO is rotated with the valve stemand` through the planetary gears ll, internal gear 13, ring 14 andsleeve 5 rotates the blower element. This rotation continues until thestop member 22 upon the ring 14 comes into Contact with the stop member23 upon the internal gear. Then upon reversing the rotation of thesheave wheel 18, the blower element is rotated in the reverse directionthrough .the same arc until the stop member-22 comes into Contact withthe stop member 23 which again limits the rotation of the blower elementafter which continued rotation of the sheave wheel in the same directioncompels a relative rotation of the valve stemV 8 and gear l0 andconsequent longitudinal inward movement of the valve stem against thedifferential pressure exertedby the cleaning fluid, thereby seating thevalve 2 and shuttingeif the passage of the cleaning fluid through theblower element. j

In the event lof any leakage of the cleaning fluid past the piston ringin the inner end of the piston 19, this cleaning` fluidis conducted tothe boiler by means ofthe leako passageway 24 in the valve body. Asillustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings, this passage opens at its innerend into the annular-space between the blower velement and the Wall box23"V which ext-ends through the boiler setting 24.

As shown in the modified construction, Figures3 and 4, :25 is the rotaryblower element yhaving its end secured in the sleeve 26 and 27 is thevalve in axial alignment with the blower element. This valve hasportions at its opposite ends adapted toengage the seats 28 and 29secured in the sleeve 26, the valve being so located that when seatedthe portion thereof intermediate the seats comes into contact with thecleaning liuid entering the inlet passage 30 in the valve body 31.

32 is the valve stem secured to the valve and having the threadedportion 33 intermediate its ends engaging in the gear 34 which latter islocated beyond the end of the sleeve 26. This gear meshes with the gear35 mounted upon the stub shaft 36 secured to the valve body. 37 is apinion also Vmounted upon the stub shaft 36'and driven from the gear 35,and 38 is another gear meshing with the pinion 37 and secured upon thesleeve 26 lfor rotating thesame and cense uently the blower element 25.The gear 34 is j ournalled in the bracket 39 secured to the valve body3l and is held from moving axially outward relative to the bracket bylmeans of the antifriction thrust bearing 40 which, in the presentinstance, is a ball bearing. The valve -stem 32 is rotated by means ofthe sheave wheel 4l engaged by a'suitable flexible connection such as achain and this valve stem is also provided with a piston 42 which, lassoon e man L. Snow.

as the valve is partly opened is acted upon by the cleaning fluidthereby tending to force the valve stem longitudinally outward to fullyopen the valve. Furthermore, the valve stem is provided with the stop 43between the gear 34 and the piston 42 and engageable with the gear tolimit the rotation of the valve stem relative to the gear.

F or limiting the angular travel of the blower element 25, I haveprovided the transverse projection or stop 44 upon the gear 38 and alsothe projection 45 upon the bracket 39 and engageable with the stop 44.'Io secure the rotation of the blower element through an arc equal to orgreater' than 360, the gear 38 is provided with a concentric slot 46 inwhich the stop 44 is slidable, the degree of angular travel ofthe'blower element depending upon the length of this slot.

The operation of this boiler element is the same as that disclosed inFigures l and 2, the main difference being the provision of a balancedvalve and the provision of means for providing for the rotation of theblower elementthrough .an arc equal to or greater than In thisapplication no claims are directed to the means provided for conductingthe leaking cleaning fluid to the interior of the boiler setti ng.,since this `feature `is described and claimed in aY copendingapplication filed February 15, 1924, Serial N o. 693,609, in whichapplication I am a joint applicant with Nor- VVhat I claim as my.invention is l l. In a boiler cleaner. the combination with a rotaryblower element, a valve seat carried by said element and a valveco-operating with said valve seat for controlling the passage ofcleaning Huid to said blower element, said valve being movablelongitudinally Vof said blower element, of a rotatable driving member, astem for said valve fixed to said rotatable driving member for rotationtherewith and means for operating said valve during a portion of therotation of said driving member and for operating said blower elementduring another portion of rotation. j 2. In a boiler cleaner, thecombination with a rotary blower element, and an axially aligned valvefor controlling the passage of cleaning fluid through said blowerelement, of a valve stem for said valvehaving a threaded portion, a gearupon the threaded portion of said valve stem and operatively connectedto said blower element. means for rotating said valve stem, and meansproviding for the rotation of said valve stem relative to said gear andconsequent longitudinal movement of said valve stem and also providingfor the rotation of said gear with said valve stem.

3. In a boiler cleaner, the combination with a rotary blower element,and an axially aligned valve Vfor controlling the passage .of cleaningfluid therethrough, of a: valvestem for said valve having a threadedportion, a gear upon the threaded portion of said valve stem andoperatively connected to said blower element, means for rotating saidvalve stem, a piston operated upon by the cleaning fluid and tending tomove said valve stem longitudinally outward to open said valve, and astop upon said valve stem engageable with said gear for limiting thelongitudinal outward movement of said valve stem.

4. In a boiler cleaner, the combination with a rotary blower element,and a valve Jfor controlling the passage o cleaning fluid through saidblower element, of a rotatable member connected to said valve, a secondrotatable member, gearing operatively connecting said second rotatablemember to said blower element, and means upon said rotatable members formoving said iirstmentioned rotatable member longitudinally to open andclose said valve and means coacting with said last mentioned means forrotating both rotatable members together.

5. In a boiler cleaner, lthe combination with a rotary blower element,anda valve for controlling the passage of cleaning fluid through saidblower element, of a valve stem for said valve, means for rotating saidvalve stem, gearing for rotating said blower element including a gearthreaded upon said valve stem, and a stop upon said valve stem andengageable with said gear to limit the longitudinal movement of saidvalve.

6.In a boiler cleaner, the combination with a rotary blower element, anda valve for controlling the passage of cleaning fluid therethrough, of arotatable member connected to said valve, a second rotatable memberoperatively connected to said blower element, means upon said rotatablemembers for moving said irst-mentioned rotatable member longitudinallyto open and close said valve and means coacting with said last mentionedmeans for locking said rotatable members against movement with respectto 'each other whereby said rotatable-members rotate together, and meansfor variably limiting the rotation of said second rotatable member.

7. In a boiler cleaner, the combination with a rotary blower element,and a valve for controlling the passage of cleaning fluid therethrough,of a valve stem, means for rotating said valve stem, and means providingfor the operation of said valve and blower element including planetarygearing having a gear threaded upon said valve stem.

8. In a boiler cleaner, the combination with a rotary blower element,and an axially aligned valve for controlling the passage of cleaningfluid therethrough, of a valve stem for said valve having a threadedportion, a gear upon the threaded portion of said valve stem andoperatively connected to said blower element, means for rotating saidvalve stem, means operable to urge said valve stem longitudinallyoutward to open said valve, and a stop upon said valve stem engageablewith said gear for limiting the longitudinal outward movement of saidvalve stem.

9. In a boiler cleaner, the combination with a rotary blower element,and a valve for controlling the passage of cleaning fluid therethrough,of a valve stem, means for rotating said valve stem, and means providingfor the operation of said valve and blower element, said last mentionedmeans including planetary gearing having a gear through which said valvestem is longitudinally movable and means for limiting longitudinalmovement of said valve stem through said gear.

l0. In a boiler cleaner, a rotatable blower element, valve means forcontrolling the llow of cleaning fluid to said blower element includinga valve seat member coaxial with said blower element and rotatabletherewith and a valve member engageable with said seat member, a gear onsaid rotatable blower element for rotating the same, a pinion engageablewith said gear, and means for r0- tatably driving said pinion to rotatesaid blower element, said means being also operable to effect a relativemovement between said valve member and said valve seat member to admitcleaning fluid to said blower element.

. 1l. In a boiler cleaner, a rotatable blower element, a rotatable drivemember, means including planetary gearing driven by said drive memberfor rotating said blower element, a valve for controlling the flow ofcleaning iuid to said blower element, and a connection between saiddrive member and valve for actuating the valve upon actuation of saiddrive member.

12. In a boiler cleaner, a rotatable blower element, a valve controllingthe flow of cleaning lluid to said blower element, a stem for saidvalve, a member operatively connected to said blower element andthreaded on said stem, and means operable to rotate said stem relativeto said member to actuate said valve, said means being also operable torotate said stem with said member to rotatably drive said blowerelement.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

CURTIS L. HOWSE.

